Week 8 is a light week of competition with only three games on the docket but two of them feature head-to-head conference clashes. Four teams will enjoy a midseason bye on Saturday including several of the squads at the top of the league standings.

SATURDAY SLATE | Oct. 19
2 PM ET  | WEST GEORGIA vs Shorter (ESPN+)
2 PM MT  | AUSTIN PEAY at UTAH TECH* (ESPN+)
3 PM CT  | EKU at #17 ABILENE CHRISTIAN* (ESPN+)
* UAC Conference Game

GAME OF THE WEEK: Coming off of a bye, Austin Peay heads out west to face off with Utah Tech for the first time at Greater Zion Stadium... Game marks the second meeting between the squads as the Govs scored 10-unanswered points over the final 17 minutes of play last season to come away with a 30-17 victory at "The Fort"... The Trailblazers are still searching for their first win of the the season against a challenging schedule that has featured six of Tech's first seven opponents being either ranked at the time the Trailblazers played them, or at one time ranked, in either or both the FCS, and FBS (UNLV), Top-25 polls... APSU looks to pick up back-to-back UAC wins on the road after edging West Georgia, 20-16, before their bye

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
- At the midway point of the 2024 season, a trio of UAC squads are still undefeated on their home fields as Central Arkansas (3-0), EKU (3-0) and Tarleton State (3-0) have successfully defended their friendly confines

BORN TO RUN 
-The UAC is home to the TOP THREE running backs in FCS rushing with TSU’s Kavyon Britten (1,160 yds), UCA’s ShunDerrick Powell (1,107 yds) and SUU’s Targhee Lambson (1,093 yds)... In all of Division I Football (FCS & FBS) only Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty (1,248 yards) of Boise State has more than the UAC Triple-Threat

NOTEWORTHY
- Week 7 marks a BYE week for four UAC squads (Central Arkansas, North Alabama, Southern Utah and Tarleton State)

- West Georgia’s tilt with Shorter on Saturday is one of just three remaining non-conference games among the final 25 contests on the UAC composite regular season schedule for 2024

- Oct. 5 clash between #5 Central Arkansas and #16 Abilene Christian was just the second head-to-head UAC battle of ranked squads in league history... UCA has been part of both competitions, having faced #12 Austin Peay, ranked 20th last season

- With Southern Utah’s 27-24 OT win over UTEP on Sept. 7, the T-Birds secured the league’s first victory against an FBS foe... Abilene Christian (52-51 loss at Texas Tech) and Central Arkansas (34-31 loss at Arkansas State) both nearly accomplished the feat as well this season

- The Bears 34-14 victory over #19 Lamar (Sept. 29) marked just the second UAC win against a ranked non-conference foe... EKU topped #16 Southeast Missouri, 41-38, last year

- Thunderbirds head coach DeLane Fitzgerald earned the 100th of his career with SUU’s victory over EKU... Fitzgerald joins TSU’s Todd Whitten (135 wins) in the Coaching Century Win Club 

WHERE DO WE RANK
- A trio of UAC teams were again ranked in the Top 25 nationally as ACU, UCA and TSU were all recognized. The Texans were listed 10th (STATS) and 9th (AFCA), the Bears were 12th (STATS & AFCA) while the Wildcats were 17th (STATS)/21st (AFCA)

- In the Sept. 30 STATS Ranking, Central Arkanasas was listed No. 5, marking the highest ever rank for a UAC program

- The league has seen three teams ranked in the Top 25 for five consecutive weeks... Last season, the UAC only saw two teams ranked in the same week at most, occuring five times

- Including the Preseason Poll, eight of the nine teams in the conference have received votes for the Top 25 in one or both of the National Rankings (STATS Peform & AFCA)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR...
- Following back-to-back single score deficits in UAC play, West Georgia steps out of league play on Saturday when the Wolves host former Gulf South Conference rival Shorter in a Homecoming showdown... UWG is 27-15 all-time in Homecoming games... Saturday's contest marks the 12th all-time meeting between the Wolves and Hawks with West Georgia on a current 10-game win streak in the series  

- Both teams in the day's finale are looking to rebound from their first UAC losses of the season when No. 17 Abilene Christian welcomes EKU to the "Lone Star State" for a Homecoming battle... The Wildcats have earned the win in five straight Homecoming tilts and feature an offense led by the FCS top passer, Maverick McIvor with 2,231 yards passing... The Colonels are 4-4 under head coach Walt Wells against ranked opponents... Saturday will be the second meeting between the squads with EKU having posted a 30-15 victory in Richmond (2021)  

MILESTONE WATCHES:
- ShunDerrick Powell (UCA RB) needs 215 yards for 4,000 career rushing yards
- Darius Hale (UCA RB) needs 152 yards for 3,000 career rushing yards
- Caleb Lewis (TSU RB) needs 142 yards for 2,000 career rushing yards
- Rajaez Mosley (UWG RB) needs 121 yards for 2,000 career rushing yards
- Will McElvain (UCA QB) needs 381 yards for 7,000 career passing yards
- Maverick McIvor (ACU QB) needs 585 yards for 7,000 career passing yards
- Romon Copeland Jr. (APSU WR) needs 405 yards for 2,000 career receiving yards
- Mark Bails Jr. (SUU WR) needs 413 yards for 2,000 career receiving yards
- Adrian Guzman (TSU P/K) needs 5 FGM to reach 50 career FGM
- Ritse Vaes (ACU PK) needs 6 FGM to reach 50 career FGM
- David Walker (UCA DL) needs 3 sacks for 40 career sacks
- Demetrias Charles (UCA DB) needs 1 tackle for 200 career stops
- Kohner Cullimore (SUU LB) needs 12 tackles for 200 career tackles

Milestones Reached in 2024
- Southern Utah Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald earned 100th win of his coaching career on Oct. 12
- Patrick Nations (EKU PK) connected on his 50th FGM on Oct. 12
- TaMuarion Wilson (UCA DB) surpassed 300 tackles on Oct. 12
- Maverick McIvor (ACU QB) surpassed 6,000 career passing yards on Oct. 5
- ShunDerrick Powell (UCA RB) surpassed 3,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 14
- Takairee Kenebrew (UNA WR) reached 2,000 career receiving yards on Sept. 14
- Kayvon Britten (TSU RB) reached 3,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 21 (*had UAC record 273 rushing yds vs UNA)
- Derrel Kelley III (TSU RB) surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 21
- Targhee Lambson (SUU RB) reached 1,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 21
- Will McElvain (UCA QB) surpassed 6,000 career passing yards on Sept. 28 (*at UCA)
- Darius Cooper (TSU WR) surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards on Sept. 28
- David Walker (UCA DL) reached 50 career TFLs on Sept. 28
- Elijah Moffett (ACU LB) eclipsed 200 career tackles on Sept. 28
- Donta Stuart (TSU DB) reached 200 career tackles on Sept. 28